12th October 2024 11:13:05 AM
2 mins readInvestigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has raised concerns regarding the fairness of a district magistrate court's ruling that bars Cynthia Morrison from running as an independent parliamentary candidate for Agona West in the Central Region.
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The court issued an injunction preventing Morrison, who previously won the seat for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2016 and 2020, from presenting herself as a candidate until the case is "fully determined." This ruling comes as Morrison alleges that her party conspired to undermine her in the internal primaries.
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In a post on the X platform, Manasseh questioned the legitimacy of the court’s ruling, stating, “I'm not a lawyer, but I think there is a question of the fairness of this ruling.
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Why doesn't the court allow the 'VAR system' of justice in this case, which is typical of candidates contesting elections in Ghana?If the offense is so grave as to warrant her disqualification from the race, the court can declare her election null and void, as has happened in many cases.
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If she's stopped from contesting the election and she wins the case, can the court reverse the damage?Cynthia Morrison has been a minister of state in this government and is currently the sitting Member of Parliament for Agona West.
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If these precedents are set, will they not open the floodgates for anybody to file an injunction on winnable candidates a few months before an election just to change the will of the people? This does not look good for our democracy, especially because Cynthia Morrison has constantly spoken of how the governing NPP has schemed against her candidature, which is why she decided to contest as an independent candidate.
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”The injunction has significant implications, with the 2024 election less than two months away, raising fears that the case may not be resolved until after the election, ultimately affecting her campaign efforts.Three months ago, Morrison announced her independent candidacy following her defeat in the NPP’s parliamentary primary, where she received 152 votes compared to Christopher Arthur’s 240.
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